Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-01
FROM AUSTIN.
Record OF the Week OF the Doings
Of the Lawmakers OF
the State.

THO StdtCs
Bills Passed and Bills Postponed-work
Good, Bad and lndifferent-Note.
erOssip and Chatter.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX, March 26.-Iu reply to a
letter referred to his department by Mr..
Graves of the House, Superintendent
! Cooper in an opinion relative TO the pow
ers OF city councils to levy and collect
taxes for the erection of public buildings,
holds that un0er the act of 1885, chapter
/ l07, section l, page %, So city or town
| council or board of aldermen of any in
corporated city or town within the limits
OF this state shall have power to levy and
| collect an annual ad valOrem tax of not
/ exceeding 25 cents on the 500 valuation
OF taxable property within such CITY or
! town, for the erection, construction or
! purchase of public buildings, streets.
| sewers and other public improvements
within the limits of such city or town.
| Within the meaning Of this act shall be
! included building sites and buildings for
! public schools and institutions of learn
ing within those cities and towns which
have assumed or may assume control and
management of the public free schools
and institutions Of learning within their
limits. Such cities and towns under this
act may issue bonds for the erection, con-
struCtlon or purchase Of public buildings,
etc, provided the total amount of said
bonds or the total amount for which they
are issued does not exceed the amount
Of special tax that may be levied and col
| lected during the time for which said
RI baF
are to run ten or twenty
years the amount must not be in excess
of that which may accrue from the levy
ard collection OF special school tax"
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
The HepataZOne Medicine Company of
Austin flied charter in the Secretary of
States office to-day; capital $50 600;
iLcorporatOrs, J. J. Tobin, w. Il Tooin
and A. W. Houston.
Secretary Of State John NJ. Moore, and
his chief clerk, Pete Walton, are busy
compiling copies of the new laws for the
public printer and comparing the proof
sheets.
TO PAY JURORS.
The. first bill that came up for consider
alton in the House this morning proposes
that any person who has been summoned
and who attends as Juror upon any of
the courts of the state shall receive paw as
8 juror for each Gay and for each fraction
OF day that he is required to and does
attend suCh court as a Juror. A discus
sion arose on motion TO adopt the minor |
ity report, which recommended the pas
sage of the bill. The friends of the |
bill claimed that it was unjust |
TO demand the service of the /!
citizen without remuneration, citing ser |
vice required in special venire cases |
where large number of citizens were re-
CURED to leave their business and attend |
on the court two or three days without /
receiving pay, which made the CITIZENS |
averse to serving upon the iuries. |
Those in favor of the majority report
which opposed the passage of the bill,
pleaded the great expense that would be
entailed upon the tax PAYERS of the
counties to meet this extra expenditure
OF the county funds. TIE previous cues
tiOn was then moved and the minority
report was adopted. The bill then came
up on engrOssment and was lost.
A SEPARATE JUDICIAL DISTRICT.
Senator Jarvis bill, creating Tarrant
county separate Judicial district, has
passed both houses, and will become q
law as soon as it receives the Governors
signature: also Senator Jarvis bill Gre
ating Parker, Wise and Jack counties a
Judicial district, and providing for the ap-
pointment of district Judge therein.
THE STATE LUNATIC ASYLUM.
For some time there has been a cur
rent report that criminal and disgraceful
practices have been carried on at the
State Lunatic Asylum at Austin. This re-
port has at last reached tae ears of the
members of the Lower House, and this j
morning Mr.. Jones OF Pamela offered
the following resolution.
Whereas, it is currently reported that 1
many disgraCeful and criminal practices
have been carried on at the State Lunatic =
Asylum at Austin, and if such occurrences
as are alleged were true only in part it
would be sufficient to bring the blush of
shame to the face of the whole people of i
the state Of Texas and would arouse the
Indignation OF every good citizen, and be-
HGyipg that all public institutions of such
vital inn Ortance should be removed with
out the pale OF even the imputaton of
such disgraCeful charges, and I
Whereas, the Legislature of Texas is /
in duty bound and should spare no pains
to see that our public institutions are
pure and undetied; that the unfortunate
who are of necessity confined to |
such institutions, should have the same
care and honorable protection as in the !!
sacred precincts of home; therefore, ! !
be 1t
Resolved, that special joint committee
Of investigation be appointed to inYesti- |
gate ard report upon such charges.
1t is said that the basis of these charges
are that several women confined in the
asylum are reported to be in delicate /
condition Mr. J8HGg said that the Oh
leCt N Offering this resolution was as :
much to clear the institution of the faint
Of suspicion that now surrounded 1t, if !
not true, as to purify it and punish the :
guilty, if it is true. How much truth
there is in the report is now purely ;
matter of conjecture.
PECOS VALLEY IRRl CATION.
In view of the fact that tae Senate hes